Engaging with traditional and modern Islamic NGOs in Egypt

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1 IRP - Cairo Policy Brief - 3 Engaging with traditional and modern Islamic NGOs in Egypt Rabha Allam, Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies ACPSS, May 2012 Islamic NGOs have a key role to play in supporting local service delivery and promoting change within modern Egyptian society. This brief profiles two types of Islamic NGO: traditional Islamic NGOs and modern Islamic NGOs. The former are founded on traditional teachings, actively promote Islamic ideology through their social work, and are mainly funded through zakat; the latter are more youth-led and are interested in minimizing social and educational inequalities and empowering the most poor and marginalized members of society. After profiling selected key NGOs of both types, this brief concludes with recommendations on areas of future cooperation that the Dutch Embassy could explore with these organizations. Introduction Although the Egyptian public sphere is highly politicized, much of the real changes are being introduced on the ground through civil society organizations (CSOs). Having a long history of service provision and networking abilities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with Islamic affiliation constitute a major force for change that cannot be ignored in contemporary Egyptian society. They have deep access to the rural governorates inhabited by some of the less privileged Egyptians, they are aware of the cultural specificities and can work within a community to create social change while minimizing potential value-based conflict. The emergence of Islamic NGOs in Egypt The first NGO founded in Egypt on an Islamic charitable basis was established in After World War I many other Islamic-oriented charitable organizations were founded to compete with charitable Christian missions, which were very active in Egypt during this period. Most of these NGOs aimed to spread virtue and prevent sinful practices, such as gambling and alcohol consumption. After the foundation of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) as an Islamic association, the number of Egyptian citizens linked to such Islamic associations increased significantly. In response, the Egyptian political regime tended to control their activity, fearing its potential political influence. Such practices become more flagrant during Nasser s rule in the 1950s and 1960s, when the activities of the MB and many other charitable Islamic organizations were frozen and substituted by the enlargement of the state s social and welfare services. But in the 1970s, Sadat encouraged the expansion of Islamic NGOs alongside Background information This is one of four briefs written for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and the Netherlands Embassy in Egypt, in the framework of the IRP Cairo project. The IRP Cairo project Islamic Actors and their Discourses in the Public Domain: Islamic Preaching and the New Media was set up by the Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo and the al-ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo, in order to carry out research on contemporary developments in the Muslim world that are relevant to Dutch policy development in the field of international cooperation.

2 Islamic NGOs cover 35% of the NGO sector in Egypt. During the Mubarak regime, their activities were restricted. After the 25 January 2011 revolution, Islamic NGO s have significantly expanded their activities. More than ever, Islamic NGO s are important partners for development. Traditional Islamic NGOs: Spreading religious ideas and teaching alongside social services. Maintaining mosques, religious schools, medical centers and publishing houses. the Islamist political movement to counterbalance his leftist opponents. By the 1990s, Islamic NGOs represented 35% of all NGOs in Egypt. Since the mid-1990s, however, the Mubarak regime restricted Islamic NGOs as part of a bigger campaign against the Islamist political movement. Thus, the boards of many of Islamic NGOs were frozen, their mosques were controlled by the Ministry of Endowments and their activities were attentively monitored. The prominent Islamic NGOs: What and How? The most prominent Islamic NGOs in Egypt today are divided into two types of NGOs: traditional NGOs, and more modern youth-led organizations. Traditional NGOs Many of these traditional NGOs were founded at the beginning of the twentieth century to spread the Islamic teachings while also providing social and educational services. They are mainly funded by zakat, the Islamic tradition of giving at least 2.5% of personal wealth to the poor. Al-Gam iya al-shar iya Founded in 1912, this NGO now has around 882 branches across the country. This association adheres to a conservative version of the wassatiyya trend of understanding Islam and prefers not to be involved in politics. Building and running mosques (approximately 6000 across Egypt) was its original objective, but later it expanded its activities to preacher training, preaching campaigns, religious schooling, and care for orphans, the handicapped and young girls. The association also runs several medical centers and organizes medical caravans to provide health services in marginalized areas in governorates. Additionally, it owns a print house that publishes religious books and its monthly magazine, al-tibyan. Al-Gam iya al-shar iya also runs some minor developmental projects to help create jobs for single mothers (widowed or divorced) mainly raising livestock and producing and distributing bread at the local level. Ansar al-sunna al-muhammadiya (The Followers of Muhammad s Way) This NGO was established off the back of al-gam iya al-shar iya in 1926 to emphasize its own Salafi understanding of Islam. The association aims at spreading the call for tawhid (monotheism) and the rejection of all innovations in religious practices. By running 1500 mosques, mostly in rural and poor areas, the association tends to communicate its understanding of Islam alongside providing social services. It runs several institutes to train preachers in the Salafi doctrine, to issue fatwas, and to deliver sermons and religious lessons. It publishes a monthly magazine called al-tawhid. The association is active in collecting zakat and redirecting it to medical services through affiliated clinics, social care for orphans, widowed women and financial aid for poor families. Modern, youth-led NGOs These organizations were mainly founded at the beginning of the 21st century by religiously committed middle class youth. Their membership generally comprises university students or young professionals who are religiously motivated to participate in their country s development. A large proportion of the membership are women. As compared to traditional associations, these NGOs are mainly interested in social services, human development, youth training ses-

3 sions and awareness campaigns. They have almost no discourses on democratization or citizenship, but they are interested in minimizing social and educational inequalities and empowering the most poor and marginalized members of society. Their activities depend upon young volunteers and on using social networking to spread their messages and initiatives. Resala Founded in 1999 by an engineering professor in Cairo University as a student movement, Resala has grown to include over 100,000 volunteers, 4,500 employees in 60 branches all over Egypt. Its activities range from care for poor families and orphans, training and capability enhancement of those with special needs, tutoring students, illiteracy classes, blood donations, human development training, language courses, and even the re-sale of used clothes. It depends upon a sustainable network of constant donors and volunteers to organize both charity and human development events in local communities. Its branches are mainly located in urban areas, but it organizes convoys to rural areas to provide medical care, food supplies, and relief services in case of natural disasters. Life Makers Associations This association was inspired by Amr Khaled s initiative of linking religiosity with social work to accomplish national development. These associations run several projects to fight bad habits, and also implement social and developmental initiatives. For instance, they organize awareness campaigns for healthy habits like sports or against bad habits like smoking, or consuming alcohol and drugs. Life Makers also run charitable and development projects that work to translate foreign books, eradicate computer illiteracy, fight school dropouts, green the roofs of buildings, collect clothes and donations during Ramadan, and initiate small industry development. The evolution of NGOs after the revolution Owing to the constraints imposed by the previous regime, many of these associations refrained from any political activity before the revolution; additionally, their social activity was frequently restricted for political reasons. After the revolution, their activities have significantly expanded. The intellectual affiliation of the leaders of the major NGOs has also become more pronounced, and it is closer to their respective political Islamic parties. Al-Gam iya al-shar iya for instance was always perceived to be intellectually close to the MB s way of thinking, but it was previously compelled to hide their affiliation. After the revolution, the leaders of this association have Modern Islamic NGOs: Founded by middle class youth, many members are women. Focus on social services, human development, training, and awareness, in order to reduce inequalities and empower the poor. Pictures of Resala s medical convoys in Ismailia, April 2012

4 After the 2011 revolution, Islamic NGOs expanded their activities significantly. Also, Islamic NGOs engage more than ever in the political debate. Traditional Islamic NGOs are now more vocal on their political affiliation. They publicize their political views, endorse political figures and advise their followers on who to vote for. Modern Islamic NGOs are increasing their activities. Some are supportive of political groups or are part of political processes, but mostly they focus on their projects. They are increasing their partnerships with the private sector and civil society, including other Islamic and non- Islamic NGOs. expressed more frequently their political views through their monthly publication. Al-Azhar scholars have also influenced its discourse, which is best described as conservative wassatiya preaching for a gradual Islamization of society. The association issued a statement to its followers before the parliamentary elections urging them to choose the most experienced candidates in legislative elections, and to vote for those who present a reasonable platform for Egypt s future. And recently the head of the association has denied supporting a specific Islamist presidential candidate, yet he has good relations with them all. He also declared that the next president should have integrity, good reputation, and experience in both global and local politics and deep understanding of the economy s dynamics. Ansar al-sunna al-muhammadiya is also increasingly involved in the political sphere. Known for being intellectually closer to the conservative Salafi current, the organisation s board consists of many prominent Salafi preachers, like Mohamed Hassaan and Mohamed Hussein Ya coub. After decades of prohibiting political activism, the association issued a statement to approve running for elections as a way of spreading the Islamic call, and recommended that its followers vote affirmatively in the constitutional referendum. Moreover, the association has endorsed the Salafi candidates in parliamentary elections. On the local level, it has issued many statements to warn off believers from the sin of voting for the Egyptian bloc (consisting of liberal and leftist groups) competing with the Islamist candidates in different governorates. Nevertheless, the association was criticized on different occasions by Salafi supporters for approving running for non-islamic councils and taking part in the democratic process that it previously attacked. Although Resala eschews politics, it organized a significant blood donation campaign for injured youth during the second week of the revolution, when many of the public hospitals were running out of blood bags. This initiative would have eventually harmed the association s future activities if the revolution had not changed the level of liberties in the society. Similar to other NGOs, this association is currently enlarging it activity, recently opening eight new branches. The head of Resala, Dr. Sherif Abdelazim, was chosen to represent the NGOs in the Constituent Assembly, but he is considering his withdrawal after the withdrawal of al- Azhar and the churches representatives, preferring the re-election of the assembly on different bases. With regard to Life Makers Associations, their activity has extremely enlarged and it has sought new partners from the private sector and civil society. Amr Khaled, who was banned from appearing on national TV, has presented the show Bokra Ahla to encourage social work in different domains. He hosted each episode, each of which featured an expert in social and human development. The show was once interrupted when he was intending to host Mohamed Elbaradei; it was then totally suspended in August Outside the media spotlight, Life Makers have launched a wide campaign to educate 50 thousand illiterates through recruiting young volunteers. The campaign is associating other partners such as Vodafone Egypt, the Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services (CEO- SS), UNESCO, the Youth association

5 for population and development and Al- Gam iya al-shar iya. Jointly Vodafone is granting funds for local associations and Life Makers is building the capacities of volunteers. Two weeks after its beginning, the campaign was already enrolling more than 13,000 volunteers, 37,000 illiterates in 3800 illiteracy classes across the country. Science is Strength The logo of Life Makers illiteracy project Why, How and Who to Engage? There are many reasons to engage the Islamic NGOs on different occasions. Firstly, the Islamic political parties rely massively on the votes of the followers of those NGOs. Engagement with these groups would be a way to influence their followers knowledge, capacities and worldviews. Additionally, engaging these NGOs could give access to large networks of marginalized and less privileged people in different governorates, who would otherwise not be easily accessible. This could deliver the cooperation results directly to those in need and help minimize social inequalities. Moreover, Islamic NGOs are usually well funded by zakat, and therefore tend to have well-established headquarters in many places especially in rural areas. The engagement between Egyptian NGOs and foreign partners cannot be easy in the context of the recent crackdown on NGOs, however, it could also give many opportunities. Traditional Islamic NGOs may not be as open to cooperation with non-muslim foreign partners, especially the Salafi associations. But the more modern NGOs, whose leaders master foreign languages and have enhanced visions regarding development plans, could eventually act as intermediaries between the Embassy and the traditional NGOs. This has been the effect of linking Al-Gam iya al-shar iya as a traditional NGO with UNESCO by a sustainable partnership through a modern NGO, Life Makers, in the illiteracy project. This case could be repeated in many different social and developmental domains. The areas for potential cooperation range from enhancing capabilities of internal management to human development, health sector, micro-credit initiatives and cultural and awareness campaigns (see specific recommendations below). The Embassy could build partnerships with the modern NGOs directly or introduce similar Dutch NGOs to transfer developmental ideas and projects. The partnership agenda could include plans for joint project implementation, or could enhance the capabilities of those NGOs to better implement their own plans. Since the crackdown on some USfunded NGOs last February, the cooperation of international agencies with local NGOs has not been as easy as it was before. That lawsuit urged investigations on foreign funded NGOs working on democracy and human rights research, and has increasingly poisoned the working environment. Egyptian and American employees of those NGOs Why engage with Islamic NGOs? Islamic political parties rely on the votes of NGO followers Islamic NGOs have access to millions of underpriviliged people all over Egypt Islamic NGOs are well-established and organized, especially in rural areas. Cooperation with traditional Islamic NGOs is best sought through sustainable partnerships with modern NGOs as intermediaries. The recent crackdown on foreign-funded NGOs in Egypt has complicated the relations with foreign donors and foreign NGOs.

6 were banned from leaving the country and presented to court for practicing non legal affairs. The lawsuit was later suspended after American officials met with some prominent members of the ruling military council. As an effect, the local NGOs are being much more careful in accepting funds or working jointly with non-egyptian actors. However, any potential cooperation that could be directed to real change in terms of health, education or management consolidation would be welcomed. Specific ideas for partnerships: Health Sector: The Dutch embassy could fund nurse training to enhance the capacities of the personnel of clinics affiliated with NGOs in rural areas. Or, it could help organize awareness campaigns to spread hygienic culture compatible with limited resources in these areas. Human Development: Funding or supporting language and management courses in modern NGOs in both rural and urban areas to help a smooth the entry of youth into the labor market. Technical support: Supporting cooperative projects to organize a database by governorate of families in need, to avoid duplicating efforts between NGOs, whether they are Islamic or non-islamic. Internal Management: Providing NGO management courses for the personnel alongside with auditing, organizing and fundraising skills. Micro-credit initiatives: Providing micro-funding for development initiatives to establish SME (small- and medium-enterprises) for widowed women or adult orphans aiming to be economically independent, with some conditions such as enrolling their children in schools, or attending an illiteracy course, or accomplishing a specified educational degree. Contacts Al-Gam iya al-shar iya info@alshareyah.com Tel: Fax: Ansar al-sunna al-muhammadiya Life Makers Tel: (202+) Address: 1st building, 6th street, Maadi, Cairo Lifemakers@lifemakers.org.eg Resala raselna@resala.org contact_us@resala.org Further reading Three other policy briefs were written within the IRP Cairo project. Academic networks help to understand the Islamic landscape in Egypt New Egypt New Mediascape? Policy brief on the shifts in the Egyptian mediascape after the Revolution with a focus on Islamic actors and the New Media. Islamic actors in Egypt and the changes in their roles and discourses after the Egyptian revolution of January 25, Contact us Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo (NVIC) 1, Dr Mahmoud Azmi Street P.O. Box 50 - Zamalek Cairo Tel: / Fax: info@nvic.leidenuniv.nl